precision

crosscut sled

© 2010 August Home Publishing Co.

 Feature
Project

Precision Crosscut Sled

Accurate and clean crosscuts plus a versatile fence for accessories add up
to make this a must-have jig for your table saw.

W hen crosscutting on the

table saw, I like the fool-
proof accuracy a sled provides. This
solid but lightweight sled makes cut-
ting long or wide workpieces easy.
The rock-solid design of the fence
means you’ll always get square cuts.
And the fence is designed so you
can add a variety of accessories, like
a flip stop, ruler, and a box joint jig.
Another unique feature of this
sled is its “zero-clearance” base. The
sliding base extension allows the
sled to hug both sides of the blade.
That means your cuts are cleaner
with less chipout.
With all these features, this sled
is sure to become your go-to table
saw jig and one you’re likely to leave
on your saw most of the time. Turn
to the next page to get started.

1 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

 © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Adjustable stop
guarantees accuracy Measuring tape Fence track
for repetitive cuts makes setup fast makes it easy to
and easy Knobs let you add accessories
install or remove
fence extension
quickly and easily Polycarbonate blade
guard helps keep fingers
safely away from blade
Foot supports
long workpieces
Fence extension allows
accurate cuts on
long workpieces
Rock-solid
fence ensures
NOTE: For construction square cuts Large plywood base
details on a sled and a box provides ample support
joint jig for a left-tilt table saw, for the workpiece
refer to pages 8 and 9
Front fence adds

www.Woodsmith.com
rigidity to the plywood
Construction Details
Overall Dimensions:
213⁄8" D x 24" W x 5" H
(Without fence extension) Aluminum miter
bar with its no-
slop fit keeps sled
square to blade
Sliding base
Studded knobs lock section adjusts
sliding base in place to match blade
width and minimize
chipout

2

{ Zero-Clearance Base. Whether you’re
making a simple crosscut or cutting
dadoes, rabbets, or box joints, the
adjustable base ensures less chipout.
Knob locks
{ Add-On Accessories. The versatile box joint jig
fence design allows you to easily add in position
accessories like a featherboard, a stop
block, or a box joint attachment.

Top slides
along fence
track
OPTIONAL
BOX JOINT JIG

Micro-adjuster
makes fine-tuning the
box joint jig a snap

Screws secure face to

track assembly

hardware
(1) 3/8" x 3/4" - 20" Aluminum Miter Bar Replaceable
faces let you cut
(3) No. 8 x 5/8" Fh Woodscrews box joints of any
(10) No. 8 x 11/4" Fh Woodscrews size
(2) 24" Aluminum Fence Tracks w/Screws
(1) Flip Stop
(1) 4' Measuring Tape (Left-to-Right)
(4) 1/4"-20 Knobs w/Insert
(4) 1/4"-20 x 13/4" Threaded Rods
(4) 1/4" Washers
(4) 1/4"-20 Threaded Inserts
Materials
(2) No. 6 x 5/8" Rh Woodscrews A Base (1) 161/2 x 18 - 1/2 ply.
(1) Micro-Adjuster* B Rear Fence (1) 3/ x 21/ - 24
4 4
(1) 1/4"-20 x 11/2" Hex Bolt* C Front Fence (1) 3/ x 21/ - 131/
4 4 2
(1) 1/4" Washer* D Sliding Base (1) 161/2 x 57/8 - 1/2 ply.
(1) Knob with 1/4"-20 Insert* E Adjustment Blocks (2) 3/ x 11/ - 57/
4 2 8
(1) 1/4"-20 Cross Dowel* F Guard (1) 31⁄8 x 5 - 1/4 polycarbonate
(2) 1/4"-20 Threaded Inserts* G Fence Rail (1) 3/ x 11/ - 42
4 2
(2) 1/4"-20 x 1" Fh Machine Screws* H Fence Face (1) 3/ x 21/ - 24
4 4
I Fence Foot (1) 3 x 24 - 1/2 ply.
* Indicates items for optional box joint jig J Top (1) 3/ x 11/ - 8*
4 2
shown in the drawing above K Face (1) 3/ x 41/ - 8*
4 4

3 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.


{ Adjustable. Move the
extension in or out to
accommodate different
blade widths.
Rock-Solid Base & Fence
The foundation of the sled is the
plywood base where the workpiece
rests. The miter bar goes under-
neath, but on top of the base, you’ll
add the front and rear fences. Then
you’ll add the fence track, measuring
tape, blade guard, and flip stop. It all
adds up to a solid, accurate sled.
Before you get started, there are a
few things to mention. This sled was
3 back edges to determine the
a.
4 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
1
2
designed for a right-tilt table saw.
If your blade tilts to the left, you’ll
need to make a mirror image of the
sled. This is so the sliding base can
accommodate a wide range of dado
blade widths (photos above).
Also, take the time now to tune up
your saw. You’ll want to make sure
the blade and rip fence are parallel
to the miter slots. Doing this now
will help ensure accuracy is built
into the crosscut sled to make it the
most-used jig in your shop.
SLED BASE
The fixed and sliding bases are cut
from a single blank. When cutting
the blank to size, I made sure the
edges were square. This is impor-
tant because you’ll use the rip fence
to locate and cut the dado for the
runner. And you’ll use the front and
location for the fences later.
Sliding Base. The first thing
to do is cut the piece for the
sliding base from the blank
and set it aside, as shown
in Figure 1. Without mov-
ing the rip fence, mark
the location for the runner
using the edges of your saw’s
miter gauge slot as a reference.
Fixed Base. After cutting the dado
for the runner, go ahead and cut the
curved cutout, as you see in Figure
2. Finally, attach the runner and
adjust it for a smooth, sliding fit in
your saw’s miter slot.
Fence Blank. Now you can get to
work on the front and rear fences
that you see in Figure 3. To make
both fences, I started with a long 4
blank. I ripped the blank to width
and cut the fences to size. Then it’s
just a matter of cutting off the cor-
ners of the front fence (Figure 3).
Inserts. Now, you’ll find it’s easier
to install the threaded inserts before
attaching the fences to the base. The
inserts are used for adjusting the
sliding base and attaching the fence
extension you’ll make later.
a.
Adding the Rear Fence. If you take a B C
look at Figures 3 and 3a, you’ll see E
that the fences are inset from the
edges of the base. This provides
room for the adjustment blocks
used to position the sliding base. D
The accuracy of the sled depends
on the rear fence being square to
the blade, so it pays to take extra
care when installing it. To do this, I
fastened the fence to the sled with SLIDING BASE & DETAILS to engage the threaded insert. To do
one screw at the far end of the sled. Now you can turn your attention to this, use a dab of epoxy to lock the
Then after squaring it up, you can the sliding base (Figure 4). All you threaded rod into the knob.
fasten the fence at the opposite end need to add here are the two adjust- Final Details. To finish up the rear
with one screw and make some test ment blocks. The slots allow the slid- fence, you’ll add a commercial fence
cuts. Once everything checks out, ing base to hug the blade as you’re track, measuring tape, flip stop, and
add the remaining screws to lock crosscutting. When you fasten the finally, the blade guard, as you see
the fence down to the base. blocks to the sliding base, they’ll sit in Figure 5. At this point, you have
Front Fence. The front fence comes flush with the front and back edges a fully functional sled that’s sure to
next. The important thing to keep in of the base (Figure 4a). become a mainstay in your shop.
mind here is that it needs to be par- Adding a little hardware comes But on the next page, you can make
allel to the rear fence so the exten- next. Make the studded knobs to the fence extension that extends the
sion can slide in and out freely. ensure they are just the right length capacity of the sled.

5
GUARD HAS
2!/2"-rad.

a.

GUARD
(3!/8" x 5" - !/4"
PLASTIC)

{ Blade Guard. The guard helps

keep your fingers away from the
spinning blade as it exits the sled.

5 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.


Adding the Fence Extension
The crosscut sled
by itself is a must-have
addition to any table saw. But
for cutting longer workpieces, this
add-on fence extension lends a help-
ing hand. The extra length plus the
“foot” on the extension work to sup-
port a long workpiece for making
a.
6 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
precise cuts. You can see in Figure
6 how the extension mounts to the
sled’s fence with studded knobs.
Start at the Rail. Figure 6 also shows
how the fence extension is put
together. I started with the fence rail
— the “backbone” of the extension.
After cutting it to size, drill the over-
sized holes for the studded knobs.
Fence Face. The fence extension’s
face is just like the one on the sled’s
rear fence. The only difference here
is the addition of the foot. After cut-
ting the face to final size, you can
cut the foot with its beveled front
edge. (This helps the fence slide
over your saw’s table).
‹ Long-Reach Support. The
fence extension gives you the
capability to accurately cut
long workpieces with ease.
To make assembly of the fence
extension easier and eliminate
gaps between the sled’s fence and
the extension, I fastened the fence
rail to the sled first. Then I simply
butted the end of the foot against
the sled and fastened it to the rail.
You can do the same thing with the
fence face. Finally, you can install
the fence track along the top edge
and add the measuring tape.
Handy Helper. After making a few
cuts with this sled, you’ll wonder
how you got along without it. But
to make it even more useful, page 7
shows how to make an attachment
for cutting accurate box joints.
Box-Joint Attachment
The crosscut sled makes an ideal
platform for cutting box joints, as
you can see in the photo. It’s easy
to make and takes most of the “trial
and error” out of cutting box joints.
The jig consists of a top piece that
slides along the fence track. The
micro-adjust mechanism takes the
guesswork out of cutting box joints
by allowing you to fine-tune its posi-
tion. Finally, interchangeable faces
allow you to easily cut a wide range
of box joint sizes.
Micro-Adjustment. It’s best to start
with the top piece so you can accu-
rately fit the micro-adjuster (draw-
ing below). You can cut the top to
length, but leave it a little wide to
make it easier to locate the holes
for the cross dowel that accepts the
stud on the adjuster.
To do this, install the micro-
adjuster on the fence track. Now
place the oversized top piece on
top of the track, overlapping both
the front and back edges. Use the
threaded stud of the micro-adjuster
to locate the holes for the stud and
cross dowel (detail ‘a’). With these
a.
b.
7 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
holes drilled and the cross dowel
in place, go ahead and thread the
micro-adjuster into the dowel. Now
you can mark the width of the top
using the fence edges as a guide,
and then rip the top to width. Finally,
after drilling the holes for the adjust-
ment knob and inserts, thread the
inserts into place.
Jig Face. Now you’re ready to work
on the face of the jig. There are only
a couple of things you need to do
here. First, drill countersunk holes
for machine screws that fasten the
face to the top. Then you’ll need to
cut a notch so you can glue the index
key in place. (The width of the notch
and key determine the size of the
box joints.) The great thing is, you
can make a separate face for each
size of box joint you need to cut.
Using the Jig. Using the jig is simple
and similar to other box joint jigs
you may have used. But the advan-
tage here is the micro-adjuster. It’s
easy to zero in on the perfect fit of
your box joint just by turning the { Box Joints. You can easily turn the crosscut
knurled knob. And in no time, you’ll sled into a precise box joint jig with this
be making perfect box joints. commercial micro-adjuster.
 © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Adjustable stop
Measuring tape guarantees accuracy
makes setup fast for repetitive cuts
Polycarbonate blade Knobs let you and easy
guard helps keep fingers install or remove
safely away from blade Fence track fence extension
makes it easy to quickly and easily
add accessories
Foot supports
long workpieces
Fence extension allows
accurate cuts on
long workpieces
Rock-solid
fence ensures
Large plywood base square cuts
provides ample support
for the workpiece

www.Woodsmith.com
Front fence adds
rigidity to the plywood
Construction Details
(for left-tilt saw)
Overall Dimensions:
213⁄8" D x 24" W x 5" H
(Without fence extension)
Aluminum miter
bar with its no-
slop fit keeps sled
Sliding base square to blade
section adjusts Studded knobs lock
to match blade sliding base in place
width and minimize
chipout

8
 Knob locks OPTIONAL BOX JOINT JIG
box joint jig (for use with a left-tilt saw)
in position

Top slides
along fence
track

Micro-adjuster
makes fine-tuning the
box joint jig a snap

Screws secure face to

track assembly

Replaceable
faces let you cut
box joints of any
size

9 www.Woodsmith.com © 2010 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.